Preview draft. Activities have not been tested with caregivers.
Big kids · The activity desk
Cardboard loom color bands
Build a simple cardboard loom and weave a pattern with yarn.
Let's play →
A little plan for play
Open interactive activity →Add to play journal →What you need
Clean sturdy cardboard, yarn in two colors, tape and scissors
Age: 6–12 years; choose for the individual child.
Set up: An adult cuts a cardboard rectangle and matching shallow notches along two opposite edges. Check for staples and sharp edges.
Adult's role: Handle the cardboard cutting, help secure yarn and supervise scissors and loose yarn around younger children.
Let's make it happen
- Wrap yarn between matching notches to make parallel strands, and tape the ends to the back.
- Weave a second color over one strand and under the next, then reverse the pattern on the way back.
- Add more rows, push them together gently and compare the patterns made by each color.
Make it simpler: Use fewer, wider-spaced yarn strands and weave one color together.
Clean up: Collect yarn scraps, put scissors away and store the weaving out of reach of younger children.
An adult handles sharp cardboard and supervises scissors. Keep yarn and small scraps away from babies and younger children.